U2's Bono named Dubliner of the year

Irish rock singer Bono has just been nominated Dubliner of the Year. The U2 singer, no stranger to awards, claimed he was blindsided but delighted by the title and said being named Dubliner of the Year was the perfect way to wrap up a banner year for the Irish band.

"Dublin is a state of mind and a place. What's being a Dub? I don't know, but I am one and proud of it through and through. The messy head, all the earnest conversation, our spunkiness and punkiness, our sense of fun, the self-deprecating over-confidence.

"We are so many contradictions. Dubliner of the Year crowns a great year for me and the band, not everyone's experience I know. I'm feeling very blessed and grateful, and deep down in my gut, I know this city has what it takes to be a world-beater once again. It already is, in my head."

Paul Trainer the Editor of The Dubliner, the publication behind the award, told the press that Bono was the natural winner for the 2010 title.

"Bono has inspired many of the articles we have published over the last ten years. Wherever he goes, he takes a bit of Dublin with him and in the last year he has taken our city to every corner of the earth. He is a Dubliner who makes us proud to be The Dubliner," he said.

Fellow Dubliner Danny O'Donoghue from rising new Irish band The Script praised his hero as a success story which should be celebrated.

"Bono has got what most musicians search for all there life, heart. His belief changes others. He made it possible for Dubliners to dream, to think 'what if?' His belief and drive as a Dubliner got him to where he is today and we all need to be reminded that we drink the same water. So I congratulate Bono and say well done, keep flying the flag for Dublin and Ireland," he said.